AN:/ Please Review x

Chapter 3

"Buffy?" Joyce asked her eldest again.

"Maybe you guys should sit." The look her mom gave her then did not bode well for Buffy.

"Should I now?" Joyce said, hands raised to rest on her hips, forever the matriarch.

"In this case, Joyce, think Buffy's right. You should probably sit." Joyce Summers' eyes were drawn to the friendly vampire and then down to the still crying child. So many questions.

Dawn followed her mother over to the now unoccupied couch and they sat.

"Well? Why is Spike in my living room at three in the morning holding a crying child, Buffy?"

"Mom I…hang on." Buffy began but stopped, and turned to Spike. "Can you do something about that?"

"What?" Spike asked genuinely confused.

"The crying. I can't think."

"What do you want me to do?" He argued.

"I dunno, maybe she's hungry." Buffy shrugged.

"Does it look like I have tits?" He scowled back at Buffy.

"Well, I can't…" Buffy began to gesture to her own chest before blushing and thinking better of it. "Look…just…she was getting all gummy with my finger earlier, try that for now." Buffy suggested. Spike huffed and shifted the kid so that he could hold onto her with one arm and slip the bare knuckle of his pinkie into the child's open mouth. She latched onto it and he felt a gentle sucking accompanied by little smacking noises. The girl was suckling on his bloody heartstrings is what…

"Seemed to do the trick." He smiled but dropped the expression from his face as soon as he caught the enigmatic looks he was getting from the two women waiting patiently on the sofa. Bashfully, Spike cleared his throat and began to rock the babe back and forth. "Girl's gonna have to eat something proper sometime though…" He looked back up at Buffy.

"I know," Buffy smiled tiredly at him and he smiled back.

"Buffy?" It was Dawn this time, Joyce seemed oddly quiet, staring at the two people who had somehow managed to procure a newborn human child out of the blue.

"Right." Buffy spoke as she went to sit down in the armchair. Spike continued to stand, holding the little girl who was still smacking her lips against his knuckle, he strolled around the room a little, she seemed to like the movement and kept staring up at him with those big blue eyes of hers. Could get lost in those eyes, princess, the vamp mused to himself.

"Mom," Buffy breathed. Start this out right, Buffy. "She's my daughter."

"Your…" Dawn began. "How? You weren't…Who's the dad? Is it Spike?"

"What?" "No!" Buffy and Spike denied and gawked at each other, aghast, embarrassed.

"Dawnie, vamps can't have…"

"I know but he's all… 'Papa Bear' 'n' stuff?" Dawn argued, throwing her hand out to a now broody Spike who had sat down in the chair next to Buffy, a show of solidarity if you will. Neither had anything to say towards that last comment.

"How is this possible, Buffy? You couldn't have…" Joyce began carefully.

"I didn't hide anything, mom." Buffy said. "Look, maybe you guys should just let me explain everything that happened tonight first but I just wanted to make it clear from the beginning that she's mine and once you find out how she came to be that won't change, okay?"

"Ok, sweetie." Joyce was encouraged by the protective note in her daughter's voice. "We're listening."

And so, Buffy went onto explain the events of the hours just past.

"So, she's not Spikes?" Dawn whined.

"Sorry, Nibblet," Spike chuckled at Dawn's disappointment. "Flattered as much you so desperately want me as big brother though." He grinned.

"How can she not have a father?" Joyce asked, now smiling down adoringly at the beautiful baby, Spike noticed and went to place the baby in Joyce's arms. She took the child without question, and so naturally too Buffy spied with a hint of envy. She makes it look so easy.

"Say hello to grandma." Spike grinned.

"Oh my…I'm a grandma!" Joyce Summers laughed, begrudgingly accepting the title and everyone shared a chuckle.

"And I'm an aunt!" Dawn rejoiced with vigour. The young teen peered at her niece from over her mother's shoulder and asked: "What's her name?"

"Her name?" Buffy was flabbergasted and looked up at Spike ashamed. "I didn't even think…"

"Been a busy night, luv. Think we're forgiven, only known she existed for about two hours." We? Buffy wondered.

"The monks didn't give her a name?" Joyce picked up. "Poor baby," She cooed down at her granddaughter. "Well, that's something to look forward to then, sweetheart." Joyce addressed her eldest. "You get to name her." Buffy smiled thankfully back at her mother.

"You know Buffy, supernatural stuff aside, raising a child…" Joyce began.

"I know, mom…"

"It's a lot of work. It's expensive. Babies need so many things…"

"I know. Tomorrow I'll make a list…it's not like I've had time to prepare anything. We can tough it out tonight. I can do it." She finished determinedly.

"Of course, you can do it, Buffy and you'll have help." Joyce smiled and rubbed a reassuring hand over her daughter's knee. "You'll make a wonderful mother."

"It's true." Dawn spoke up and Buffy looked at her sister in surprise.

"Really?"

"Sure, miserable sister but you'd make an ok, mom." Dawn grinned and Buffy laughed.

"Told you, pet." Spike sent a smug wink in Buffy's direction. Her mood brightened for a moment only to diminish again when she remembered…

"How am I gonna tell Giles?" Buffy sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Joyce could see the worry etched onto her daughter face. "Slaying and parenthood don't exactly see eye to eye…"

"Well, he's just going to have to deal with it." Joyce assured her. "And don't worry about that now… tomorrow, we'll handle operation baby, tonight, I think everyone could use some sleep. Dawn you have school in the morning…" Joyce warned her.

"More like in three hours." Dawn grumbled.

"Bed." Joyce smiled as Dawn sulked up the stairs not before placing a sweet kiss on her niece's temple. "Here, Buffy." Joyce handed her back the child. "I have a meeting at the gallery at nine, I should get some sleep too…I'll run out tomorrow morning before work and get you the correct formula" Buffy started to protest but thought better of it, she didn't have a clue what formula to get, "and don't worry about Mr. Giles. Night, sweetheart." Joyce kissed Buffy on the temple and ran a loving hand over the little one's cheek. "Spike." She nodded at the vamp and went to follow her youngest upstairs.

"G'night, Joyce." Spike wished her fondly. "Should probably go too, pet. Sun up's not far off. Should hurry if I don't wanna be toast for breakfast…" Spike looked back at the new mother, settling into the armchair with her babe, she looked back up to him and nodded. They stared at each other for a long moment and he eventually sighed and made to stand, don't know what I was expecting.

Buffy jumped up after him, "Spike?"

"Slayer?" He turned back around.

"I um, you…you got enough time to get back ok…without getting crispy, that is? Because the basement…"

"S'alright, pet, plenty time." He smiled in thanks and his gaze was drawn back down to the little one, nestled in her mother's arms, the girl had finally succumbed to her exhaustion. He raised an alabaster finger to the little one's cheek and stroked it softly. It was hard for Buffy to digest the gentleness that was oozing out of someone she had come to understand as quite the opposite but that wasn't to say she didn't like what she saw.

"Suits you, too, you know." Buffy surprised herself by what she just said and surprise registered, similarly, on Spike's face but his expression quickly melted into something warm.

"Don't tell." The edges of his mouth folded up into a smile.

"Promise. Thanks, Spike."

"Come again? Did little Miss. Priss just say thank you…to Big Bad?" He teased.

"Big Bad softie! Don't get used to it." Buffy practically growled back playfully and Spike relished in it. "But yeah, thank you, you helped me keep my head tonight." Buffy admitted, it felt important that she did. Spike shrugged, brushing off the thanks.

"We can deal, right?" There's that 'we' again.

"Night, Spike." Buffy smiled softly up at him and at that Spike stepped back from the space in front of her.

"Night, Slayer…Slayerette." He grinned down at the sleeping child as did Buffy.

As he shortened the distance between himself and the door, Buffy was overcome with how very empty the room felt without him in it and the weight in her arms felt just that little bit heavier.

"Wait, Spike?" He turned to look at her. "I'll probably go to the Magic Box tomorrow afternoon to explain…well everything. Five o'clock maybe, if you wanted to…"

"You taking the little one with?"

"It'll probably be easier for them to believe with living proof." Buffy smiled.

"You need a ride?" Buffy looked up surprised. "Save you walking with her."

Slightly stunned she managed a reply.

"What, n…ahh you know what screw it. That'd be…nice." She shrugged. "Why make it harder for myself, right?" Buffy accepted his offer but why was it suddenly so difficult to talk to him. It's because we're not fighting or at each other's throats, that's why.

Spike smiled happily.

"I'll swing by for quarter to. Night, pet." He closed the door silently behind him.

"Night." Buffy said to an empty room and sighed with grating exhaustion before heading for the stairs. "Come on, Mama needs some sleep. Let's go make you a makeshift bassinet."

Spike needed a smoke.

He raised his Zippo to the end of his cigarette and sparked it up before inhaling…deeply. As the ribbons of smoke floated about him and into the night, he turned to look back through the window at the woman and child retreating up the homely staircase. He sighed. What had transpired tonight was…unexpected. Something felt different, the way she was looking at him, the child for Christ's sake! Spike struggled to take the first few steps away from the house before heading back to his crypt, suddenly distance between himself and 1630 Revello Drive didn't seem terribly appealing. Sod the bleeding sun, he thought before making his way back to Restfield. He would see her…them tomorrow, he reassured himself.

That next day, Buffy woke to the sound of crying. Best get used to it, Buffy grumbled as she dragged herself out of bed and walked round to the other side. Last night she'd had to make do with rolled up towels, pillow walls and comforters to fashion some sort of babyproof crib that took up half the bed. She may have over done it with the pillow walls…

Buffy carried the child down to kitchen and bless all mothers everywhere, because she found a readymade bottle sitting in a pan of water, waiting patiently to be heated on the stove. Beside it, a note, instructions, lots of love, Mom x

"Thank you, Grandma. Hey, baby?" Buffy grinned picking up the paper, it meant that feeding this first time wouldn't be too painful…hopefully.

"Ok, I might know how to burn toast without even trying but I think we can manage to heat up a bottle without disaster, can't we?" Buffy cooed at her daughter who didn't seem afraid to vocalise her hunger. Buffy's eyes scanned the instructions. "Holy cow. You eat every four hours?" Buffy asked her baby as if expecting a reply. "No wonder you're grumpy. You probably feel like you haven't eaten for a week, right?" More screams were the only answer. "Right." She sighed.

It turns out, thanks to Mrs. Summers and the directions she'd left, prepping the kid's breakfast was very much in the realms of Buffy's capabilities…doing all that with a crying child in one arm was another matter.

"We really need to get you a crib…and a name!" Buffy exclaimed to her daughter as she finally determined the milk was cool enough to drink. Walking into the living room with pen, pad, baby and bottle, Buffy plonked down on the sofa and she didn't have to do much before the kid was chugging away. "Damn, lady. Take it easy, I'm supposed to burp you after this, right? You're so gonna throw up all over mommy." Buffy laughed, then a worried look crossed her face.

"I'm sorry you went hungry, baby." Buffy winced and kissed the now content child on the brow. "Just give me a little time to catch up, ok?"

She smiled, it was surprisingly easy to talk to her little bundle of pudge. "Now we're on a budget here. It's bare necessities, for now, ok? We just need to make it 'til the end of the day. Mama's gotta take baby steps too." Those big blue eyes kept staring up at her, guzzling down the bottle. "The crib can wait but first up, you're gonna need all that changing crap because no offence, sweetie, but you stink. We are so having a bath before we leave the house today…your ass is bigger than mine." Buffy grinned as she palmed a full diaper. "And I might have to sacrifice one of mom's dishtowels as a short-term solution but we won't tell grandma about that, no we won't."

Between that morning and the afternoon, Buffy had managed to: tidy up both herself and daughter and construct the aforementioned dishcloth diaper; tackle Dawn's old pram from out of the basement, clean it up and ventured into Sunnydale to purchase the essentials that she was sure she could afford. They could make do with the formula at home and so for now, the shopping list just included: diapers, wipes…lots of wipes, a pacifier, changing mat, a couple of cotton baby grows and several books on caring for newborns. Buffy skipped all the pregnancy literature and decide she would just have to do her best to know what her baby needed as each stage of development came along.

She was sprawled out on her bed, head propped up by a bent elbow, feet crossed at the pillows. "I'm probably going to have to quit school." Buffy sighed as she peered up from the pages of a baby book to marvel at her slumbering child. "Quit school, so that I have time to study all this baby stuff. You know, the thing I've noticed most about motherhood so far? …talking to myself…out loud." Buffy smiled.

By the time Spike rolled up in the DeSoto that evening, Buffy had digested most of the information in the books; there had been two more feedings and several diaper changes. Some ran smoothly, others were a disaster and the mess in Buffy's bedroom spoke for itself but tackling that seemed like an issue for later. She could focus on housekeeping when she was sure she could handle going five seconds without taking her eye of the baby.

"This whole thing would be made so much easier if you had somewhere to sleep besides some layered up blankets and what not." Buffy said to the gurgling child lying on the couch surround by yet another wall of pillows. She stuffed a couple more diapers into a jampacked shoulder bag then rummaged around beneath the sofa for her left shoe, as she did so the front door was flung open and a smoking blanket entered the house, a blonde head immerged from beneath.

"Buffy."

"Hey." She smiled, perhaps a little too fondly.